Hezbollah 'special missile' destroys Israeli Merkava tank (Footage)
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Hezbollah unveils footage highlighting the targeting of a Merkava tank with a special guided missile near the Palestinian-Lebanese border.
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Footage of Hezbollah targeting a Merkava tank with a precision-guided missile at the Israeli al-Baghdadi site on February 9, 2024 (ScreenGrab/Military Media)
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah released footage of an operation it had launched against Israeli military assets, specifically an Israeli Merkava tank, in al-Jalil Pandhandle.
The newly released video highlights the process of a precise anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) attack that targeted a Merkava tank, seemingly parked at the Israeli al-Baghdadi military site. The footage recorded by a Television camera installed on the ATGM showcases the operator and system's precision in aiming, targeting, and executing the destruction of the military target.
This type of guidance system has been used in at least two other operations conducted by the Resistance since January 2024. Previously, the Resistance used the guidance system to target Israeli spyware and hardware in two sites, including its naval base in Ras al-Naqoura.
Dated to February 9, 2024, the footage corresponds to an announcement made by the Islamic Resistance's military media, in which it was revealed that Hezbollah fighters targeted and destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank in al-Baghdadi military site.
The footage is provided in the video below.
#بالفيديو | الإعلام الحربي في المقاومة الإسلامية ينشر مشاهد من عملية إستهداف المقاومة دبابة ميركافا في موقع البغدادي التابع لـ "جيش" الاحتلال الإسرائيلي عند الحدود اللبنانية الفلسطينية بصاروخ موجه خاص.#الميادين #الميادين_لبنان @AlMayadeenNews pic.twitter.com/6kI3U30Bxq
— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) February 10, 2024
Why is Hezbollah's guidance system special?
Although Hezbollah has previously highlighted several attacks on Israeli Merkava tanks and armored vehicles, this is the first time that the group has announced that it has deployed a top-attack ATGM against a tank.
On January 25, the group released the first-ever footage collected from a television camera installed on an ATGM system. Unlike other ATGMs that the Resistance had heavily publicized in released footage, the latest video showcases an indirect mode of attack, which the system is capable of.
Similar to the Iranian Almas system and other top-notch Western systems, the weapon engaged its target in the Jal al-Allam military site via a top-attack method, just as it did with the Israeli Merkava tank.
It is worth noting that the guidance system installed on Hezbollah's "special missile" will prove essential to target mobile Israeli military assets near the Lebanese-Palestinian border, an area synonymous with the area's mountainous topography. This is due to the three-dimensional scope that the system awards its operator, in contrast to traditionally employed weapons that offer a two-dimensional scope.
In other words, the group can now target Israeli forces and military equipment that are not in direct sight of fighters, using highly effective weapons. The newly unveiled system relays real-time footage to the operators via the Television Camera, allowing Resistance fighters to accurately locate targets and steer the missile in their direction.
Read more: Hezbollah's newly revealed weapons stir up Israeli media
Largest barrage of rockets since 2006
The Lebanese Resistance also launched dozens of Katyusha rockets targeting the "Kela" barracks of the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Syrian Golan, on Friday. Sources revealed to Al Mayadeen that the targeting of the Israeli military base in the occupied Syrian Golan is the Resistance's response to Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon, including strikes on Ali al-Taher Heights and a civilian house in the town of Yohmor, southern Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent previously noted that "a recent military target in the occupied Golan was among the targets of the latest barrage from Lebanon." They clarified that the barracks are situated 15 kilometers away from the Lebanese border, south of the Zaoura site, which was bombed yesterday.
Friday's rocket barrage was described by Israeli media outlets as the largest ever since the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2004.
Read more: What is Hezbollah's Falaq-1?
